Professional Educators Diploma in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM)

The overall goal of these modules is to help educators understand how students learn in a STEAM-integrated approach. In this course, we will discuss how people learn and examine key learning theories. We will also explore the nature of learners, their stages of cognitive development and the different abilities of multiple types of learners. 

The main objective of this course is to reflect the theories learned in participants’ classroom practices and adapt their application according to context. Learners will explore several learning theories directly connected with STEM education, including connectivism, cognitive constructivism and social constructivism, and work on building a STEM-friendly learning environment.

The STM 502 course is designed to help participants explore the need to adopt alternative modes of assessment within the curriculum, as well as cutting-edge assessment tools that align with the comprehensive STEAM pedagogical approach. While educators must prepare students to take standardized tests effectively, they will also learn how to facilitate student learning through assessment.

Participants will examine different modes of alternative assessment, practice using them in class, reflect on their application and evaluate their effectiveness. The course will cover the concepts and tools of formative and summative assessments, and participants will design both to understand the differences and apply them in their contexts.

In addition, educators will explore critical thinking skills, their importance in the learning process and their role in assessment. They will practice and develop selected critical thinking skills throughout the course.

This course introduces teaching methodologies for different subject areas through interdisciplinary projects. Participants will explore diverse methods to integrate disciplines and examine the purpose, benefits and limitations of integrated curricula. Techniques for integrating subjects within traditional courses will also be covered.

Participants will analyze the role of teachers, students, schools and communities in creating an integrated STEAM learning environment. They will connect this to their own contexts and develop ideas for implementing these concepts. Within STEAM practices, collaboration, engagement and inquiry are central. These core concepts—especially inquiry and inquiry-based learning—will be explored in depth throughout the course.

Through group discussions, individual and group projects, and presentations, participants will learn how to apply these concepts in a STEAM class and design an integrated STEAM unit.

This course provides an overview of engineering as a process (engineering design) and how engineering design thinking can be applied to teaching across disciplines. The presence of engineering design in the K–12 classroom is critical for the future of STEAM. Studies show that learning engineering design in K–12 can improve student performance and increase interest in STEAM careers.

The course examines how to integrate engineering design into the K–12 classroom and presents examples of such integration. It also explores the impact of the engineering design process on instructional strategies in STEAM, with a focus on project- and problem-based learning strategies as applications of design thinking. Participants will also engage with active learning and teaching techniques that promote student engagement.

Through group discussions, individual and group projects, and presentations, participants will study various lessons and then create their own, applying the principles and strategies developed during the course. They will learn how to develop and critique an integrated STEAM unit according to given standards and criteria. Participants will also be introduced to contemporary research findings, practical ideas and resources to support their classroom practice.

Reflective thinking and writing skills are essential 21st-century competencies for students and educators. This course provides opportunities for participants to explore and practice these skills and to discuss how to help students acquire them.

This course provides methods for integrating the arts (fine and liberal arts) into STEM education. Participants will design interdisciplinary activities that connect the arts with science-based disciplines in STEM. The course also explores creative thinking, its stages, strategies for fostering creativity, and approaches to assessing it.

Through group discussions, debates, individual and group projects, and presentations, participants will learn how to design and integrate the arts into a STEAM experience. They will also be introduced to contemporary research findings, practical ideas and resources to support classroom practice.

Technology in STEAM does not come by chance. It is the tool that transforms conceptual thinking in science into reality in engineering—in other words, it puts creativity into action. This course examines how technology enhances student learning in STEAM and how STEAM education, in turn, can enhance technological learning in environments built on teamwork and collaboration.

Participants will explore creative thinking and its stages, strategies for fostering and assessing creativity, gamification, fab labs, and design thinking. Through group discussions, individual and group projects, and presentations, they will learn how to integrate technology into lesson plans according to their context. The course also introduces contemporary research findings, practical ideas and resources that participants can adapt for their classrooms.

Recent research shows that what teachers know and are able to do greatly enhances student learning. STM 507 is a practicum course designed to provide carefully guided reflective practice, allowing participants to strengthen their skills and receive feedback from peers.

This clinical practicum, offered as an alternative to a field-based component, aims to upgrade and promote STEAM pedagogical practices through immediate, thoughtful and reflective feedback from critical friends groups and group feedback and support sessions.